The 100-Day Challenge milestones

The 100-Day Challenge milestones

Winning the Relay Race
Overview of 100-Day Challenges

We’ll start with 100-Day Challenges – What are these? How are they different from traditional projects that last 100 days? And why do we believe that they enable unusually high levels of performance in teams and organisations? 

The following two videos will help answer these questions. 

After watching the two videos, please share some thoughts with us regarding what you have seen.

Let's dive into the roles and events in the 100-Day Challenge...

100-Day Challenge Events

We can view the 100-Day Challenge race as a series of interconnected events (workshops), each building on the other. In the second video you were introduced to these events, lets dig a bit deeper into each workshop. 

The image below depicts a race track, with a stretch of terrain before the Starting Gate, and a stretch beyond the Finish Line. The workshops mentioned in the video are positioned on the race track. 

You, the architect, hold the baton in the terrain before the Starting Gate. You are responsible for getting the right team to the Starting Gate of the track, and for recruiting a Team Coach. 

Once the Team is at the Starting Gate, you hand over the baton to the Team Coach to get them ready for the race. As part of this, the Coach helps the Team pick a Team Leader.

Once the race gets underway, the Coach passes the baton to the Team Leader. Both you and coach stay on the sidelines of the race, cheering and supporting the team, and smoothing the track for them.  

Once the Team gets to the Finish Line, The Team Leader hands over the baton to you, so you can organize a marathon or other 100-Day Challenges. 

The start, middle and end of the race are occasions for Workshops that are facilitated by the Coach. These involve the Team and others, including you as the 100-Day Challenge Architect and possibly other colleagues in leadership positions. 

To find out more about these workshops, click on each of the black box below the race track.  

Santa new design for new relay race methophor

Leadership Design Session

Focus: Leaders decide on the “impact indicator” that the team will use in setting their 30-Day Goal

Context: Leaders identify the current GBVF initiatives their departments and organisations are involved in

Governance: Leaders identify who should be on the 30-Day team, and they will elect mentors to support the team.

Team Start-Up Workshop

Focus: The Team sets its SMURF goal

Strategy: The Team develops its initial work plan, including new ideas and experiments to test 

Governance: The Team elects a Team Leader, and it develops a Team Operating Agreement. 

Reflect & Recharge Workshop

Focus: The Team assesses progress, and it confirms or adjusts the goal as needed.

Strategy: The Team adjusts its work plan, and and it decides on additional ideas to test in the remainder of the project.

Governance: The Team assesses its own dynamics, and it adjusts the Team Operating Agreement as needed

Scale-up Workshop 

Focus: Team celebrates achievements and shares lessons learned

Strategy: Architect and other leaders develop plans to spread and scale the impact

Governance: Architect and Team decide on continued role of the Team.

Amplifying Workshop

Focus: Decide on Impact Indicators and sequencing of the next wave of 100-Day Challenges

Strategy:  Determine accountabilities and time frames to implement some of the actions recommended by the Team at the Landing Workshop

Governance: Decide on Mentors for the next wave of 100-Day Challenges, and develop a “leadership team operating agreement”

Thought starter reflection questions

Jot down thoughts on these questions – to the extent they are relevant to your experience at the session:
  • When did the mood in the event shift from “why are we here?” to “this could be interesting – I am excited to be part of this.” What triggered this shift? 
  • When did you have to go “off script” on the agenda or to change the agenda? What triggered this? What did you adjust? How did it go?
  • What was most surprising to you at the event?
  • What new insights did you gain about the issue at hand, and about the way leaders in the system interacted with each other?
  • Where did the conversation get stuck? What got it unstuck?
  • How would you characterise the level of trust among participants in the meeting? To what extent did this shift as the meeting progressed? To what do you attribute this shift, if indeed it happened?

Thought starter...

Reflection Questions 

Jot down thoughts on these questions – to the extent they are relevant to your experience at the session:

  • When did the mood in the event shift from “why are we here?” to “this could be interesting – I am excited to be part of this.” What triggered this shift? 
  • When did you have to go “off script” on the agenda or to change the agenda? What triggered this? What did you adjust? How did it go?
  • What was most surprising to you at the event?
  • What new insights did you gain about the issue at hand, and about the way leaders in the system interacted with each other?
  • Where did the conversation get stuck? What got it unstuck?
These are 100-Day Challenge Mentors. 

They did some work before you received the Challenge Note. This included:

  • Writing the Challenge Note, and making sure that the leaders of all the organisations represented on the team are comfortable with it – and committed to supporting the work of the team
  • Helping the leaders of these organisation recruit you and your colleagues to the team
  • Gathering some baseline data and other information that will help you and your teammates set your 100-Day goal and develop your plan.
  • Making sure all the preparations are made for a successful Lift-Off workshop, when you and your teammates will meet and get your 100-Day Challenge started. This includes venue, facilitation support, food, swags, comms, travel arrangements and whatever else is needed.

 

Mentors will participate in all or part of the Lift-Off Workshop, mostly at the start to provide context and answer questions, and at the end to give you and your teammates feedback about the goal and plan you develop.

During the 100 days following the Lift-Off Workshop, here’s what the Mentors will do:  

  • They will check in every two weeks with the team leaders to see how the team is doing and what support they and the team need.
  • They will keep other organisational leaders informed and engaged during the 100 days, and pull them in to help as needed.
  • They will participate in the last part of the Refuelling Workshop, halfway through the 100 days, to see what additional support the team needs, and to begin to plan with the team for sustainability and scale-up.
  • They will work with the team at the Sustainability Workshop to finalise recommendations on sustaining the results and building on the work of the team.